An interplay between genetic and environmental risk factors, including tobacco smoke exposure, affects brain development in early childhood, which could increase the likelihood a person will develop multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. Among young children in the Netherlands, being at a high genetic risk for MS,…
research
Blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) — a biomarker of nerve cell damage used in multiple sclerosis (MS) research — are influenced by factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), and storage conditions of the blood samples, according to a recent report. Such factors may need to…
Vaccination does not increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and adolescents within five years, a study found. Instead, there was a trend toward a lower risk of pediatric-onset MS in vaccinated children. This in line with earlier findings that vaccination is not a risk factor for…
Tiziana Life Sciences is expanding its Phase 2 clinical trial testing foralumab nasal spray for the treatment of nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), with six additional clinical sites across the northeastern region of the U.S. The new sites, all at top U.S. institutions, bring together leaders in…
Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who come from poorer families or other disadvantageous circumstances tend to have more inflammation and irreversible brain tissue loss, a new study reports. “Our findings suggest that social disadvantage in childhood can have lasting effects on MS severity,” Kimberly A. O’Neill, MD, study coauthor…
Hospitalization for severe COVID-19 is significantly associated with a twofold higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study involving nearly the entire population of Sweden. No increased risk of MS was found among those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, or received…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who undergo an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) — which uses a patient’s own stem cells — face unique physical and emotional challenges at every stage of the process, from balancing hope and fear when deciding on moving forward with the treatment…
Roche signed a definitive agreement to acquire Poseida Therapeutics, a deal that includes Poseida’s portfolio of CAR T-cell therapy candidates being developed for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases. Poseida and Roche have been collaborating since 2022 on cell therapies for people with blood cancer. The companies…
Higher cholesterol levels are associated with worse cognitive impairments in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. The findings imply that medications or lifestyle changes that reduce cholesterol levels may be useful for addressing MS cognitive impairment, researchers said. The study, “Lipid measures are associated…
Adding noninvasive brain stimulation to physical therapy may help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) improve their balance and walking ability, a study shows. Benefits to physical therapy with and without brain stimulation were observed, but most only remained significant after six months in those who’d also received brain stimulation.
LPX-TI641, Lapix Therapeutics‘ experimental oral therapy to restore immune system balance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, was found safe and well tolerated at all doses tested in healthy adults. That’s according to top-line data from a Phase 1 trial (NCT05853835), which…
An artificial intelligence (AI)-based tool called Muse aims to accelerate drug development by optimizing clinical trial patient recruitment. The tool, designed as part of a collaboration among Formation Bio, OpenAI, and Sanofi, is designed to be implemented across a range of areas. Sanofi will first put it…
Cognitive rehabilitation scientist Yael Goverover, PhD, has been recognized with the title of Fellow of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) for her contributions to research on multiple sclerosis (MS) and her efforts at advancing cognitive rehabilitation for people with the disease. Goverover’s work has focused on understanding…
Activation of a protein called DLK may drive the death of nerve cells that have been demyelinated, or lost their protective myelin coating, in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study from U.S. researchers. The findings shed light on how a failure to repair lost or damaged…
Two enzymes in brain cells are responsible for mediating the toxic effects of certain fat molecules in multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study in a mouse model of the disease suggests. According to the researchers, these enzymes may serve as potential targets for easing neurodegeneration in people with MS.
Backed by a $1 million grant, researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio will explore ways to keep astrocytes in check, protecting the nervous system from damage due to multiple sclerosis (MS). These star-shaped cells of the brain and spinal cord go awry and become toxic in this…
A ketogenic diet — a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat eating plan called a keto diet for short — was able to lessen the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) in mouse models by modulating the activity of gut bacteria and their metabolites, a new study shows. The findings suggest that…
A mesenchymal stem cell therapy led to significant improvements in quality-of-life scores for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small clinical trial, according to the treatment’s developer Hope Biosciences Research Foundation (HBRF). “The results of this trial are groundbreaking for multiple sclerosis,” Donna Chang, president of HBRF,…
A new technology is designed to be a “wearable” device for neurons, wrapping around individual nerve fibers with a goal of achieving new ways to study and treat neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). Still in early testing stages and needing further refinement, the technology was developed by scientists at…
A first group of healthy adults has been dosed in a Phase 1 safety and tolerability trial of Lucid-21-302, a potential myelin-protective oral treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), regardless of disease type. These initial volunteers will serve as the trial’s sentinels, an occasional study feature allowing for a…
Higher blood levels of bile acids — molecules found in the digestive fluid bile, which helps absorb fat in the gut — are associated with a slower progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), as indicated by imaging scans, a study by U.S. researchers reported. In a small clinical trial in…
The number of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Australia rose by more than 50% in the decade between 2010 and 2021, according to a recent report. These findings are consistent with global observations that the prevalence of MS has been steadily increasing worldwide. “Research and rapidly translated…
Developing a more comprehensive understanding of the interactions between the brain, blood vessels, and the immune system holds great promise for unlocking new ways to treat neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), a team of researchers argued in a new commentary paper. “Interactions between the brain, blood vessels, and…
The rate of disability progression among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has slowed over the years due to advances in disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), according to a long-term analysis. Patients diagnosed in recent decades have experienced fewer progression events associated with relapses, called relapse-associated worsening (RAW), and also…
Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a plant-derived small molecule that can promote the growth of cells that produce myelin, the protective coating around nerve fibers that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). The naturally occurring molecule, sulfuretin, blocks the activity of an enzyme that…
Increased production of cholesterol by stem cells in the brain contributes to neurological damage in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study conducted in lab-grown cells. Findings suggest cholesterol-lowering medications can reverse this damage, implying such treatments might be able to be repurposed for MS. “Cholesterol metabolism has…
Abnormal activity of ancient viral genes may play a role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders, a study found. “Future functional studies are essential to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying their involvement in these conditions,” the researchers wrote. The study, “…
Transplanting genetically engineered oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which give rise to mature myelin-making cells, significantly boosted myelin repair in mice with multiple sclerosis (MS)-like chronic brain lesions. The cells were engineered to ignore chemical signals that would normally inhibit OPCs being recruited into lesions and then restore…
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is awarding a total of $4.6 million in funding to advance research into how the protective myelin sheath that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) can be repaired — a step toward developing new treatments for the disease. Five research projects have been chosen…
Sanofi has ended a Phase 2 clinical trial into oditrasertib, an investigational RIPK1 inhibitor therapy, in people with relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) after it failed to meet its goals. The study, which had started dosing early last year, failed to show that oditrasertib significantly lowered…